Aniplex USA brings new shows for fans to enjoy in the start of 2018

Recently Anixplex of America announced that both “Record of Grandcrest War” and “Slow Start” will be available for streaming in January 2018.

SANTA MONICA, CA (December 12, 2017) – Aniplex of America is proud to announce that Record of Grancrest War will begin streaming in January 2018 on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The new anime is based on the light novel series by Ryo Mizuno, who is best known for the fantasy novelRecord of Lodoss War, which sold over 10 million copies in Japan. In a recently released English subtitled trailer by Aniplex of America, fans got a glimpse into the series’ story, which opens with a passionate declaration of allegiance by mage, Siluca Meletes, played by voice actress, Akari Kito (ERASED, BLEND-S).  The series also stars Kentaro Kumagai (Charlotte, Fate/Grand Order – First Order –) as vagrant knight Theo Cornaro, whose ambitions of freeing his homeland from oppression is the central plotline of the series. Mamoru Hatakeyama will be directing the series with the animation studio, A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, ERASED, Blue Exorcist). The series is scheduled to premiere on January 5, 2018 at 8:30 am PST on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

Record of Grancrest War also features a supporting cast of all-star heavyweights including Yuichi Nakamura (Durarara!! series, The irregular at magic high school franchise), Satoshi Hino (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, The irregular at magic high school THE MOVIE – The Girl Who Summons the Stars -), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Sword Art Online, Eromanga Sensei), and Ai Kayano (anohana – The Flower We Saw That Day –, March comes in like a lion). The series’ opening theme “starry” is by Mashiro Ayano (Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]) and ending theme “PLEDGE” is by ASCA (Fate/Apocrypha).

About Record of Grancrest War:
“I, Siluca Meletes, hereby make a contract with the Crest of Knight Theo, and swear my allegiance for all of eternity.”

A lone mage named Siluca and a vagrant knight named Theo make an oath as master and retainer, with hopes of bringing reform to a land riddled with war and Chaos.

Atlatan is a land dominated by Chaos, factors that twist the laws of nature and cause disruption throughout the world. Fearing disaster brought about by Chaos, the people lived protected by “Lords;” those with the power of “Crests,” used to suppress Chaos. However, the Lords decided to abandon the concept of protecting the people and turn against each other secretly in war, stealing each other’s Crests to gain dominion over one another.

Among these people are Siluca, a lone mage who despises the Lords, and Theo, a vagrant knight who continues his journey of training to someday liberate his homeland from tyrannical rule. Enticed by Theo’s ideals, Siluca’s coercive tactics have the two forming a contract and together, the pair work to reform a war-torn land. Unfolding around the crystal of order, “Grancrest,” the world’s greatest record of war fantasy begins!!

Information on Record of Grancrest War is available at: http://grancrest-war.com or follow the official Record of Grancrest War USA Facebook page at facebook.com/GrancrestUSA.

CAST:
Theo Cornaro: Kentaro Kumagai
Siluca Meletes: Akari Kito
Irvin: Yuichi Nakamura
Aishela: Reina Ueda
Lassic David: Satoshi Hino
Moreno Dortous: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Priscilla: Natsumi Takamori
Marrine Kreische: Ai Kayano
Villar Constance: Takahiro Sakurai
Milza Kuces: Wataru Hatano
Alexis Doucet: Yuichi Iguchi
Emma: Minori Suzuki
Luna: Megumi Nakajima
Margaret Odeus: Yuhko Kaida
Laura Hardley: Chika Anzai
Helga Piarosa: Yumi Uchiyama
Colleen Messala: Kaede Hondo

SANTA MONICA, CA (December 12, 2017) – Aniplex of America announced today that they will begin streaming the brand new anime series, Slow Start, on Crunchyroll beginning January 6, 2018 at 9 am PST. Animated by A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, Blue Exorcist) and directed by Hiroyuki Hashimoto (Magical Girl Raising Project, Is the Order a Rabbit?), the series is based on a popular 4-panel manga by Yuiko Tokumi in Manga Time Kirara, a seinen manga magazine from renowned publisher Houbunsha. In addition to being the first ever in Japan to put out a 4-panel manga magazine, Houbunsha is the publisher for another popular 4-panel manga series, BLEND-S, which served the basis for the smash hit anime by the same name in fall of 2017. Masato Anno (Eromanga Sensei, Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend) is in charge of character design with music by Yoshiaki Fujisawa (Love Live! School idol project, No Game, No Life Zero).

“When I was first approached by the team at Kirara regarding a new series, I really wanted to create a cute and charming story that didn’t take itself too seriously,” says Series Creator, Yuiko Tokumi. “But when my editor suggested to make the series about ‘reaching for a goal like trying to win a tournament,’ I began incorporating that notion into the story.”

The series addresses an interesting stigma relatively unique to the Japanese culture known as being a r­onin­­­­­­­­­­­. The term, which is often associated in the U.S. as a term for vagabond samurai, refers to a person who has failed to get in to a school or company and must wait a year to try again. While the concept of a “gap year” is not foreign to the U.S., the Japanese education and hiring system, which only accepts new students or new employees during a limited time once a year, results in many young people being forced into an involuntary gap year. The main character is no stranger to this dilemma, as she finds herself a year late starting high school. Unable to bear the shame of being a year behind her classmates, she moves away to start a new life at a new school.

“Slow Start isn’t just a cute and fun story, it’s about the importance of emotional connections,” says Director Hashimoto in an interview about the series.
Thanks to her new friends and new acquaintances, the series explores many different forms of “slow starts.” The title, Slow Start, refers to not only the main character’s delayed start to high school but a larger theme of taking one’s time to grow up.
She may be small in stature, but she loves to eat. Shy by nature, and is unable to speak articulately around strangers. Loves Eiko, and is extremely attached to her. Surprisingly, tends to say arbitrary things.

About Slow Start:
Hana Ichinose is a very shy and introverted girl about to start high school in the spring.
After moving away from her parent’s house in the city due to unforeseen circumstances, she decides to live at an apartment managed by her cousin, Shion, called Temari Heights.
A new school, new life, and wonderful new friendships.
As Hana gradually opens her heart to the people around her, her life begins to unfold with exciting and cheerful moments.
From playing around like children to feeling anxious like an adult…
This is an adorable and heart-warming tale about growing up … slowly.

Information on Slow Start is available at: http://slowstart-usa.com or follow the official Slow Start USA Facebook page atfacebook.com/SlowStartUSA.

CAST:
Hana Ichinose: Reina Kondo
Tamate Momochi: Ayasa Ito
Eiko Tokura: Tomomi Mineuchi
Kamuri Sengoku: Maria Naganawa
Shion Kyozuka: M・A・O
Hiroe Hannen: Maaya Uchida
Kiyose Enami: Manami Numakura

About Aniplex of America Inc.
Aniplex of America Inc. (Santa Monica, California) is a subsidiary of Aniplex Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo, Japan), a group of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and a leading provider of anime content and music production and distribution in Japan. Aniplex of America has launched fan-favorite Blu-ray and DVD releases including Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works], Fate/Zero, the Sword Art Online series, Your lie in April,KILL la KILL, Bakemonogatari, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Blue Exorcist, NISEKOI, the OREIMO series, DURARARA!!×2, Magi series, Expelled From Paradise, The irregular at magic high school, and ALDNOAH.ZERO. The company’s ever-growing line-up of shows include: March comes in like a lion, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, ERASED, The Asterisk War, OWARIMONOGATARI, KIZUMONOGATARI, Charlotte, Occultic;Nine, WWW.WAGNARIA!!, GRANBLUE FANTASY, Eromanga Sensei, Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU, and BLEND-S. In June 2017, the company launched the English version of mobile game, Fate/Grand Order, which quickly exceeded one million downloads. Based on the popular Fate series, Fate/Grand Order is currently available on iOS and Android.

www.AniplexUSA.com
www.facebook.com/AniplexUSA
www.twitter.com/AniplexUSA
www.youtube.com/AniplexUS
www.twitch.tv/AniplexUSA